Gorka Guruzeta Suffers Torn ACL In Loss To Sporting

Gorka Guruzeta scored his first goal for Athletic against Sevilla (AC)

Gorka Guruzeta’s season started with a lot of hope and excitement. The young striker had loan offers from several clubs in the Segunda, but Athletic rejected them all as Guruzeta was officially promoted to the first team. However, the Lezama product found it very difficult to get on the field and by January he was back competing with the Bilbao Athletic.

With so much competition at his position, all signs pointed to Guruzeta leaving on loan in the summer. The 22-year-old would have the chance to prove himself while playing regular minutes and hopefully return to Athletic with the chance to enjoy an important role in the team. Sadly, those plans have now been put on hold due to a very unfortunate injury.

Early in the first half of Sunday’s match against Sporting, Guruzeta landed awkwardly on his right leg and immediately went to the ground holding his knee. The medical staff came out and performed an ACL test but allowed the forward to continue playing for a few minutes before he finally called for a change. After the game sources said that there was concern that it was a serious injury and those fears have been confirmed.

Athletic announced on Monday that Guruzeta has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. The striker will be undergoing surgery in the coming days and will have a long road to recovery ahead of him. If all goes well Guruzeta will be able to return to the field next season, though the club will likely try to send him on loan in January so that he can rediscover his best football by playing regular minutes.

After the announcement was made, many of Guruzeta’s teammates from the first team and Bilbao Athletic took to social media to show their support. Several of them, such as Iker Muniain and Oihan Sancet, know what it’s like to face this challenge and get back on the field. Guruzeta also posted a message on social media thanking everyone for their encouragement and affection, stating that he will be back on the field “waging war” very soon.